RIM Offers Free BES Express for Lotus Domino

Research In Motion today rolled out free server software for IBM's Lotus Domino email and collaboration platform, giving users the ability to wirelessly synchronize email, calendar, notes and tasks from their BlackBerry smartphones.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is a free download that includes 75-plus smartphone controls and IT security policies that are included with RIM's (NASDAQ: RIMM) premium BES application and supports BlackBerrys on both business and personal data plans.

"There's tremendous growth in work force mobility, from small businesses through to major corporations, and there is clear evidence that shows how smartphones can increase organizational responsiveness, improve productivity and help employees make the most of their time," said Ed Brill, IBM's director of messaging and collaboration group. "BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is a great opportunity for businesses to cost-effectively extend Lotus Domino to more employees on BlackBerry smartphones."

In February, RIM began offering BES Express for Microsoft Exchange for free to small and mid-sized companies to help mobile managers burdened with increased employee requests to connect their personal BlackBerry smartphones to their corporate infrastructure.

In addition to the synching functionality, BES allows users to manage disparate email folders and search email on their corporate email servers from their mobile devices, access files stored on the company network and open and run applications stored behind the corporate firewall.

On the backend, systems administrators can take advantage of a Web-based interface to remotely deploy new applications and set internal security and usage policies.

RIM officials said BES Express for Lotus Domino supports Domino Enterprise Server and Domino Messaging Server. Companies looking to use RIM's BlackBerry clients for IBM Lotus Sametime, Lotus Connections and Lotus Quickr, however, will need to pony up for the full version of BES, which costs around $4,000 for a 20-seat license plus any additional data service plan fees.

RIM, which continues to lose share to Apple's iPhone and a variety of Android-based smartphones, said BES Express is now available in seven languages including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese and Brazilian Portuguese.